Who’s the best player in the NFL? Ask 10 different players and they’ll probably have 10 different answers. And when NFL Network asked Packers star pass rusher Micah Parsons for his pick for its annual “NFL Top 100” series, he chose Bears quarterback Caleb Williams.
He credited Williams, calling him “Iceman,” for becoming more decisive in the pocket and embracing coach Ben Johnson’s system last season, but warned, “I’ve got something for Iceman for sure. Where there’s ice, there’s also fire, and I’m the fire.”
He seemed to be a fan of Williams.
“I always want to see people succeed, regardless of who they play for,” he said. “I just don’t want to see you succeed against me.”
The “NFL Top 100” countdown debuts June 22 and runs through Sept. 4.
Parsons is expected to miss a significant part of this season as he recovers from a torn ACL, but could be back in time to face the Bears when they face the Packers for the first time in Week 5 at Lambeau Field.
Parsons isn’t the only celebrity fan of Williams. Actor and philanthropist Michael J. Fox was rooting for the Bears quarterback during the playoffs, NBC Sports’ Chris Simms told Williams during an episode of his podcast that was released this week.
Simms told Williams that before the NFC Championship game he bumped into the star of the “Back to the Future” franchise and the founder of the eponymous foundation, the largest in the world for Parkinson’s disease research.
Fox told him how disappointed he was that the Rams knocked the Bears out of the playoffs.
“He’s like, ‘I’m just so disappointed Caleb Williams and the Bears aren’t there,’” Simms said. “I love watching Caleb Williams.’”
Williams was flattered.
“I set out to bring that type of energy back to Chicago,” Williams said during the interview, which was recorded at the Walter Payton Center. “I was drafted here to not do that but to win games. When you’re winning games and you’re doing it in fun fashion — winning’s always a lot more fun than tying or losing.”
Williams has been famous in certain circles since high school, but his notoriety has ratcheted up this offseason, particularly with last week’s announcement of the Madden 27 cover.
Bears coach Ben Johnson isn’t worried about his quarterback getting caught up in the hype.
“I am focused on coaching him,” he said. “Our discussions are always about football.
“This is a guy that has grown up in this. He’s been a five-star recruit. He’s won a Heisman. I think he knows how to handle attention. You come to a big city like Chicago, a place that loves their sports and loves the Bears, I think this is kind of what he’s built for. I think it’s a good match.”
